Reminder - NO rehearsal on September 26

Remember that there will be no rehearsal at FVL on Saturday,
September 26. There is a very large soccer tournament at FVL
this weekend that involves most of the FVL Schools. Most of our
band members are involved with this tournament, so to eliminate a
very busy day we won't have rehearsal.

Thanks to so many

I want to begin by saying "Thank You" to many groups and
individuals. Thanks first to all of our FVL Schools
Principals for assisting over the past several weeks to create the
school lesson schedules. Many emails were sent back and
forth, and they responded quickly with my requests to verify their
school's band students. Thanks also to our band parents for taking
care of the registrations. There were many new band
registrations the last week of August and the first weeks of
September. I want to thank both Mr. Kramer and Mrs. Nogar for
their continued participation as directors of our Cadet Band and
Concert Winds. There is always much preparation necessary on
the parts of these directors as we begin another rehearsal and
concert year. Having qualified educators for our band
students is very important, and we have two of the best in Mr.
Kramer and Mrs. Nogar! I want to thank all of the parents who
created time in their weekend schedule to attend the band parent
meeting last week. We had a very good attendance, and some
very good discussion about our program and excellent questions from
parents. Thanks also to the FVL Schools Band parent committee
President Kristine Keller, for chairing the meeting and providing
excellent leadership for our parents and volunteers. Last,
and certainly not least, is the thanks directed to the members of
our FVL Schools Band Program! Their enthusiasm to be a part
of something as special as this program is at the same time both
humbling and inspiring for me! I realize the time and effort
that is needed from each of these students to make our program
successful. It isn't always easy to get up so early on a
Saturday morning (for parents either!) to get to our rehearsals -
but they do it anyway! Many sincere and heartfelt thanks to
all of you!

FVL Schools Band Program - Here are the Numbers so far

For the second consecutive year, we have seen increased numbers
in our FVL Schools Band Program! As of today, we have 83 students
enrolled in our program. Here is a breakdown by grade:

Grade 5 - 21
Grade 6 - 27
Grade 7 - 18
Grade 8 - 17

This total includes students at 13 of our FVL Schools, a few
homeschool students and one from New Hope Christian School.

Compare that to 78 students at the end of last school year, and
57 at the end of the 2013-14 school year. That is an increase of 26
students over the past two years! Thanks to all for your
support of our growing program!

FVL Schools Band fundraiser off to a great start

By the end of this week, all students should have received their
packet of information for the FVL Schools Band Fall Fundraiser.
The packet contains a one-page OVERVIEW of
the drive, a Pizzazz and a Happy Holidays catalog, a few order
sheets, and a return envelope. The materials should be
self-explanatory, but if you do have questions you can contact
me.

Please don't go door to door through your neighborhoods to sell
these items. We ask you to contact people you know, such as
friends, relatives, close neighbors, co-workers, members of your
church, and so on.

All order forms and cash/checks need to be returned to FVL by
Saturday, October 10. It is important that we receive the
packets on that day so that Hansen can deliver the product on
Saturday, October 24. If your son or daughter will not be at
rehearsal on October 10, please have them return the packet to Mr.
Kramer or Mr. Neujahr at their band lesson the week before October
10. Likewise, it is extremely important that the products are
picked up on Saturday, October 24. If you can not be there
that day, please make arrangements with somebody else to pick up
the product, such as another family from your school or church.
We do not have the ability to store frozen food products at
FVL.

Remember that 50% of the profit earned from this fund drive will be
used to support the FVL Schools Band Program, with 25% of the
profit going directly into your account to offset your fees, and
25% going to the FVL Schools Band Fund. The band students can
also earn "Fabulous Prizes" for different levels of sales!

Upcoming FVL Schools Band rehearsal schedule

Rehearsals leading up to our November concert will be on the
following Saturdays:

October 3, 10, 24
November 7, 14, 21
November 22 - Fall Concert

We only have six more rehearsals until our concert! Please
make every effort to have your children attend our rehearsals.

Our Fall Concert will begin at 6:00 PM. This
concert will feature our two FVL Schools Bands - the Cadet Band
(beginning students) and the Concert Winds (students with more than
one year of experience). The FVL Symphonic Band will also
play a few selections at this concert. It will be a wonderful
opportunity to see the entire FVL band program, from beginners to
high school!

Some lesson schedules affected by TerraNova testing at schools

This week and next week, many of our schools are doing standardized
testing. Because of that, the lesson schedule will be
affected at a few of the schools. There may be more
schools added to this list. These are the
modifications to the schedule:

St. Paul, Appleton - TerraNova testing September 30
- LESSONS WILL BE GIVEN OCT. 1

Just to clarify - if lessons are missed at a school due to field
trips, testing, weather-related issues, or for other reasons they
are generally NOT made up with a re-scheduled or extra day during
the week. What is important to remember is that we will have
24 lessons by the end of the school year.

Cadet Band and Concert Winds in action this weekend!

Both of our FVL Schools Bands will be rehearsing this weekend.
While the Concert Winds rehearsed last week, the Cadet Band
will hold their first rehearsal. The Cadet Band will rehearse
in the FVL Choir room, which is a bit further down the hallway from
the FVL Band Room, where the Concert Winds rehearse.

There will always be a "check-in" table set up in the FVL
Commons. All band students should report to that table when
they arrive so that we can keep accurate attendance records.
One of the directors or student assistants will be there to
welcome you and to answer any questions you may have.

Parent Meeting this Saturday

We will be holding an FVL Schools Band Parent meeting on Saturday,
September 19. The meeting will begin at 8:30 and will
conclude by the time rehearsal is over at 9:45. If we get
done early, you will have the opportunity to visit the band
rehearsals. It is our goal that as many parents as possible
attend this meeting. We know that there are lots of questions as we
begin the new year, especially for our large group of new parents
and students. The meeting will take place in the FVL
Auditorium.

On the parent meeting agenda, in no particular order, will be the
following topics:

Cindy from Hansen's Fundraising will give information about the
Fall Fundraiser. Packets will be given to you or the students on
this day as well. We will explain further any questions you
may have about the fund raiser, and you will find out how a
percentage of funds you raise will go directly toward your
individual FVL Schools Band fee account.

We will go over the rehearsal and concert schedule for the year
and provide time to answer questions you might have.

The Parent Committee, led by President Kristine Keller, will
inform you about the volunteer opportunities for the year (Some
committee positions are still open), as well as other areas in
which you can assist.

You will be given a "tour" of the FVL Schools Band website and
what it has to offer. The website will be the primary source
for information - your "One Stop Shop" for all things FVL Schools
Band!

Fall Fundraiser Preview

Our Fall Fundraiser will be starting on September 19.
Students will receive their packets at the rehearsal.
If students are not in attendance at the rehearsal, they will
receive their packets at their lesson the following week.

Hansen's is a completely full service fundraising business
located right in Green Bay. They've been helping organizations,
youth groups, and schools over the past 40 years - in over 28
states - raise funds for their various needs. The FVL Schools
Band Program is very happy to have Hansen's back again this year
for our Fall Fundraiser!

This fundraiser is also a great way to reduce your FVL Schools Band
fees for the year. 50% of the funds you raise will go to the
FVL Schools Band Program to help fund needed materials such as
music and instruments, and 50% of the funds you raise will go
directly to your individual accounts!

Following is a bit more information from Hansen's describing what
they have to offer.

Upcoming FVL Schools Band rehearsal schedule

As you can see, there aren't that many rehearsals!
Please do all you can to make sure your son or daughter is
able to attend our rehearsals.

Our Fall Concert will begin at 6:00 PM. This
concert will feature our two FVL Schools Bands - the Cadet Band
(beginning students) and the Concert Winds (students with more than
one year of experience). The FVL Symphonic Band will also
play a few selections at this concert. It will be a wonderful
opportunity to see the entire FVL band program, from beginners to
high school!

Band Handbook - Resource with lots of information!

If you haven't had the opportunity to view the FVL Schools Band Handbook yet,
try to find the time to do so. It contains great information,
especially for new band parents. It may even answer some of
the questions you might have about our program.

Some lesson schedules affected by TerraNova testing at schools

This week and next week, many of our schools are doing standardized
testing. Because of that, the lesson schedule will be
affected at a few of the schools. There may be more
schools added to this list for the following week.
As of today, these are the modifications to the schedule:

St. Mark, Green Bay - No lessons on September 23
St. Peter, Appleton - 5th Grade Class Trip (other students will
still have lessons)
St. Paul, Appleton - TerraNova testing September 30 -
LESSONS WILL BE GIVEN OCT. 1

Just to clarify - if lessons are missed at a school due to field
trips, testing, weather-related issues, or for other reasons they
are generally NOT made up with a re-scheduled or extra day during
the week. Both Mr. Kramer and Mr. Neujahr have schedules that
don't allow switching schools/days very easily. What is
important to remember is that we will have 24 lessons by the end of
the school year.